1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automatic golf ball dispensers and more specifically to an automatic golf ball dispenser which is less complex, is easily transported, and can hold a larger quantity of golf balls than the prior art.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
An automatic golf ball dispenser is used to place a golf ball on a tee with little physical effort. The golfer need not bend over, pick a golf ball out of a bucket, and manually place the golf ball on a tee. Instead, a hopper is filled with golf balls which are delivered to a tee when a foot pedal is depressed, a lever is pulled with a golf club, or a rod is pushed down with the stroke of a foot. There are several designs of automatic golf ball dispensers. Unfortunately, each design has a drawback which makes its design less than satisfactory.
The least complicated of the prior art automatic golf ball dispensers is U.S. Pat. No. 1,940,321 by Pagett. Unfortunately, this design has several drawbacks. The Pagett '321 patent lacks a bowl for holding a large number of golf balls, the tube must be refilled often. The tee is a complicated and expensive mechanism which can be simplified. The Pagett '321 device is held in the ground with a sharp spike, which must be removed each time for storage. If the Pagett '321 device is accidently mishandled the sharp spike could result in severe injury to the golfer or an innocent bystander. The Pagett '321 patent also does not suggest or teach how the device could be adapted for fully automatic golf ball dispensing. Lastly, the Pagett '321 patent contains no suggestion of how it might be mounted for permanent usage at a driving range.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for an automatic golf ball dispenser which is safe to handle, is less complex than the prior art, can hold a large quantity of golf balls, has a simple tee, can be permanently mounted, and is fully automated.